Gurus flash forward

Leading technologists offer thoughts on what's next

With stereoscopic content well ensconced, four leading technologists offer thoughts on what’s next.

Limitless technology will unfetter creativity

photos/_specials_arts/NAB_Chris-Cookson.jpg” vspace=”3″ hspace=”3″ align=”left”>Chris CooksonPresident of technologies, Sony Pictures“I think what’s so exciting about today is that we used to ask a creative mind to wrap itself around a particular technology and work within the limits of that technology. Now we are coming to the point where we have the opportunity to harness the technology in a way such that you can move at the speed of thought. So, I think where we are going is not such a mundane question as to whether to work in 2D or 3D. Today we’re working toward creating an environment where someone who has a creative inspiration can share that idea most effectively and not have to subjugate their inspiration to working within the limits of technology. The technology is becoming as limitless as the ideas.”

Young filmmakers to become old hands with digital tools

Rob LegatoOscar winner, visual effects, “Titanic”Virtual cinematography system creator, “Avatar”“Younger filmmakers — the next generation coming — are going to have a lot more experience at a much earlier age than I did because the tools are so much more accessible. When I was coming up maybe you’d have five experiences in five years. Now with digital cameras you can have that five-year experience in a month or a week, if you wanted to have it that fast. So by the time this next generation is allowed to make a big feature film they’ll have made hundreds of films and had hundreds of hours of experience. I think it’s going to get much better much faster and that’s going to apply to experiences with 3D, too. The tools are there for anyone who wants to use them.”

3D will move into new dimensions

Pete LudePresident, SMPTE

Faster frame rates to revolutionize pics

Douglas TrumbullVisual Effects PioneerSpecial photographic effects supervisor, “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Blade Runner”“I was working on a high speed, high frame rate process called Showscan years ago and I was pushing for the studios to use it because it brought such clarity to things that it was amazing. People loved how it looked but the studios didn’t want to do it at the time. They would have had to replace too much equipment at the theatrical level and that would have cost a lot of money. Now James Cameron is pushing for the same thing and I think it’s going to happen. It’s going to cause real revolution in how movies look to people on the screen.”